


Alfred Jones and the Seven Dwarfs

by CuteHeartz



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Attempted Murder, Cardverse, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Happily Ever After, Innocence, Loss of Innocence, M/M, Omegaverse, Romance, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Freeform, True Love's Kiss, fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-02-14 12:58:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13008285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuteHeartz/pseuds/CuteHeartz
Summary: Once upon a time, in a small kingdom far away, there lived a Little Prince in a castle with his cruel and jealous stepfather, the Queen of Spades. Feeling threatened by the little Prince’s beauty and the attention he seems to have caught from a foreign Prince, the Queen sends his Huntsman to kill the young Prince...





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my next little project~! 
> 
> Obviously this story is going to be a Hetalia version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, featuring America as Snow White and Russia as the Prince. I decided to write something like this because I love the movie and I confess to being a hopeless romantic myself! And there weren’t very many options to choose from out there. 
> 
> With that, I’ll cover a few notes so you better understand the outline of the story. It’ll have a similar plot to the original movie, maybe with a few tweaks here and there and more details to other aspects. Also, both Cardverse and Omegaverse will be involved. I decided to use the Cardverse AU so that the idea of two men as the king and queen would make more sense in the story. Omegaverse would also be applied so that said two male monarchs would be able to have heirs of course.  
> Obviously though, the Cardverse element is going to be switched up. Whereas Alfred and Arthur are King as Queen in the true universe, Alfred will only be the stepson and Arthur will still be the Queen. Ivan will also still be from the Kingdom of Clubs, but instead he will be a Prince. Those two kingdoms are really the only ones that are going to be involved in this, so feel free to imagine whoever else you want as the king and queen of the Hearts, Diamonds, and Club kingdoms.
> 
> I hope that is okay for those of you that are OCD about the Cardverse AU being exactly the way it originally is, but I figured it would add some unique twists to the story and make it more interesting as well as make more sense!  
> I would also like to add that i’d like to try to keep this story as accurate to the original movie as I can. Therefore, seeing as Snow White was 14, Alfred will be around the 14-15 year old range for this story. Ivan in this story will be around the 17-18 year old range, based on estimates from the Prince.  
> With those notes out of the way, I hope you enjoy this story and I hope it makes you feel a special connection to Snow White like how I feel to the movie! I spend a lot of time and work on my projects to make stories that are good and unique and I hope to add this one to the growing list!
> 
> Thank you and enjoy!

****__  


 

**_~O~nce upon a time in a small but powerful Kingdom called Spades there lived a King by the name of Francis and his young Bride, the Queen._ **

**_One Winters day while the Queen was sewing by a window, He pricked his finger and three drops of blood fell upon the snow outside the window._ **

**_The red on the white looked so beautiful that He thought to himself,_ **

**_”If only I had a child as white as Snow, as red as blood, and as bright as the Gold in this window frame.”_ **

**_Soon afterward He had a little son who was as white as snow, with lips red as blood and hair as golden as the gold in the window frame. Thus they named him Alfred. And as soon as the child was born, the Queen died._ **

**_A year later the King took himself another wife. He was a beautiful Queen with emerald green eyes, but He was proud and arrogant, and He could not stand it if anyone might surpass him in beauty._ **

**_Then one day the King took ill and died suddenly, leaving the lovely Little Prince with his stepfather._ **

**_His vain and wicked stepfather Queen Arthur feared that some day Alfred’s beauty would surpass his own. So he dressed the Little Prince in rags and forced him to work as a Scullery Maid._ **

**_Each day the vain Queen consulted his Magic Mirror._ **

**_“Magic Mirror on the Wall,_ **

**_Who is the Fairest one of All?”_ **

**_And as long as the Mirror answered, “You are the fairest one of all,” Alfred was safe from the Queen’s cruel jealousy...._**


	2. The Queen’s Unfortunate Revelation

_”The envy and pride grew ever greater, like a weed in her heart, until she had no peace day and night” -Little Snow White, The Brothers Grimm_

            ~~~~~~~~~~

The air was cold and still as the Queen approached his Magic Mirror, the only sound in the room being the click of his heeled boots as he strode towards his goal, his black train dragging behind him as he slowly ascended the stone steps and passed by the columns lining the entrance of the alcove. The deep blue drapes had a pattern of stars covering them, and were tied to the marble columns, their gold tassels left hanging and leaving the alcove drenched in darkness, except for one place.

In the center of the alcove, hung ominously on the wall, sat a large, solitary oval mirror, intricate carvings and designs marking the mirror’s wooden frame with gold trim. Circling the mirror were square plates showing the outlines of different animals and symbols. It gave off an eerie glow from its delicate glass, and as he approached, Arthur could see his reflection clear as day. He stopped just feet from the mirror and raised his arms out wide in a v-shape, as if beckoning something to come forth. His electric green eyes stood out from his pale face, with blonde hair topped by a large golden crown, and a deep blue suit to signify the signature Spade color. Around his neck was a large red amulet, and his face was framed by a tall white popped collar. 

As he spoke to summon the Mirror, he folded his arms across each other.

“Slave in the Magic Mirror, Come from the farther space. Through wind and darkness I summon thee!”

He suddenly spread his arms back out into the v-shape and remained still as a statue as a gust of wind suddenly burst from the mirror, whipping the drapes of his black cloak back from him. He watched the gusts pass through the Mirror with a howl.

”Speak!” He called over the roar of the sudden wind.

Lightning suddenly burst in the mirror’s plane, flashing bright and rumbling darkly before the Queen’s image vanished from the mirror and was replaced with pitch blackness. Then flames erupted within the mirror, climbing until they covered the entirety of the glass and crackling sharply. 

“Let me see thy face!” 

With this last call, the flames suddenly died down, leaving plumes of smoke continuously rising in the frame as a face emerged from the flames. The face was of a mask, sharp features carved into it and making the mask look eternally stoic and ambivalent. The face was a pallid green color, the lips painted a hue of dark orange, nearing red. It’s brows were heavyset and black, and curved in a way as to give the face an angry countenance. 

Then it spoke in an emotionless grumble. 

“What wouldst thou know, My Queen?” It said, blinking as it studied the pale monarch. 

“Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” Arthur said smoothly, raising his head confidently and using one hand to pull one side of his cloak across his frame. His crown twinkled in the Mirror’s glow.

The Mirror was silent before it spoke.

”Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold! A lovely maid I see! Rags cannot hide his gentle grace. Alas, he is more Fair than thee.”

The Queen stared in shocked rage at the Mirror, his eyes widening. Then he glared fiercely and shook with his rage. He swiftly crossed his arms in a motion of finality.

“Alas for him! Reveal his name!” He said, his head raised once more and eyes closed pompously. 

“Lips red as the rose, hair bright as gold, skin white as snow...” The Mirror said, almost as if reciting a poetic phrase. The Queen’s eyes widened in shock once more. So wrought was he with surprise that he brought his hand up to his neck in offense. He quickly made the connection. 

“Alfred...” He whispered furiously, dropping his now clenched fist to his side. 

* * *

Alfred hummed to himself as he scrubbed the old stone staircase of the castle gardens. He was dressed in tattered rags, but kept a cloth tied around his head like a headdress to keep his hair from falling in his face. Despite his tiredness, he continued working with a small smile on his face as he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see some doves watching him curiously on the stairs and along the railing. He gave them a smile before turning to get more soapy water from his bucket. He reached his brush in, only to find the bucket nearly empty. He frowned, stopping his quiet rendition of song and sighing. He trudged to his feet and picked up the bucket, tossing the rest of the water onto the staircase before heading over to the well in the center of the gardens to refill his bucket. 

Once more, he began his soft humming as he reached the well and began to slowly pull up a new bucket of water. The old pulley system squeaked in protest of the heavy weight, but Alfred continued nonetheless. He managed to pull the full bucket back up and rested it against the side of the well before taking a moment to rest. Suddenly, he got an idea and smiled. The doves had followed him and were now sitting along the well to listen to his song. He addressed them, leaning in conspiratorially as if what he was about to say was of the utmost importance. 

“Wanna know a secret?” The doves nodded excitedly. 

“Promise not to tell?” Alfred asked, grinning. The doves once more nodded their agreement.

”We are standing by a wishing well!” Alfred harmonized suddenly. Curious at this surprising news, the doves glanced down into the well, expecting to see something strange about it and finding nothing. Alfred smiled at them and pointed into the well. 

“Make a wish into the well, that’s all you have to do!” He explained, holding his hands out. Then he leaned in and held a hand against his ear. 

“And if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true!” He sang softly before leaning in closer to the well.

”I’m wishing...”  _I’m wishing..._ the echo answered back. Surprised at the sudden echo, the doves quickly scattered in fright. Alfred continued his melody.

“For the one I love.. to find me,”  _to find me..._ “..today.”  _Today..._ The doves slowly began to return, curious at the echo emanating from the well.

”I’m hoping...”  _I’m hoping..._

”And I’m dreaming of.. the nice things...”  _The nice things..._

”He’ll say.”  _He’ll say._

Unknown to the little Prince, a handsome rider was passing by the castle on his white horse. The young man was tall in the saddle, with light blond hair nearing a silver color, and enchanting purple eyes. He was dressed in a simple suit of blue with red trim and poofy white sleeves. Draped across his back was a rich red cloak, and upon his head was a blue hat with gold trim and a white plumed feather sticking out of it, and as he rode by he was struck by the heavenly voice he heard from beyond the castle walls. This rider, a Prince from the nearby Kingdom of Clubs, had decided to ride far and wide with his horse, and found himself somewhat lost by the time he stumbled upon the castle. 

Needing to know the cause of such a beautiful melody, he scaled the old wall and sat upon the top of it to gaze out over the gardens. Instantly he saw a beautiful young boy at a well, the two columns on either side of the well encased in vines and cherry blossom flowers that perfectly matched the pink of the boys cheeks. 

 “Ah ah ah-ah ah!”  _Ah ah ah-ah ah!_

”Ah ah ah-ah ah!”  _Ah ah ah-ah ah!_

“Ah ah-ah ah-ah ah-ah ah-ah! I’m wishing..”  _I’m wishing.._

“For the one I love... to find me..”  _To find me.._

”Today.”

”Today!” 

Alfred gasped at the loud ringing of the word, spoken in a deep, unfamiliar voice. As it was spoken he saw the reflection of the foreign Prince appear in the well’s water beside him. He froze in shock, slowly leaning up to see the Prince smiling down at him. The Prince pulled off his hat and addressed him, taking a tentative step toward him and making Alfred take one back. 

“Hello, fair one. I am Prince Ivan of Clubs.. and I...” The Prince faltered a bit at Alfred’s surprised and frightened expression. A blush began to darken the young Prince’s cheeks as he realized a stranger, Prince or not, was in the gardens with him! Without a chaperone! “Did I frighten you?” Ivan inquired softly.

Unsure of what to do, Alfred instead scrambled away from the well, running for the open door of the small servants entrance of the castle and slamming it behind him. “Wait, please!” Ivan called desperately as he ran off. “Don’t run away!” 

It was too late, for the little Prince had rushed up the spiral staircase Until he reached a balcony overlooking the gardens and the waiting Prince below and hid behind the red curtains, peeking out at the stranger from a safe distance. Wanting to soothe the boy’s fear, Ivan took a breath and began to serenade him, his arms spread open to the boy as he sang gently. 

“Now that I’ve found you, hear what I have to say!” He sang, making Alfred blush. 

“One song! I have but one song! One song, only for you!” 

Alfred listened to his song, feeling something warm swell in him unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He withdrew to his hiding place behind the curtains and swooned at the romantic lyrics being delivered by the mysterious prince. Remembering his tattered appearance, he tried to smooth down some of the tears and folds in his raggedy clothing and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it seem neater under his cloth headdress. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he shyly walked out from behind the curtains and went onto the balcony, resting his hands against the railing as he listened to the Prince’s beautiful melody.

”One heart, tenderly beating! Ever entreating, constant and true!”

”One love, That has possessed me! One love, thrilling me through...”

”One song, my heart keeps singing! Of one love, only for you!” Ivan gently finished.

Alfred was smiling brightly, a massive blush taking over his face. One of the doves flew over to him, and Alfred held out a hand and let the bird land on his finger. Bringing the bird up to his lips, he placed a gentle kiss upon it, and then moved his hand and sent the bird flying back down towards the Prince. Ivan held out his hand and the bird landed on his finger. Bringing the bird closer to him, it reached up and pecked him on the lips before flying off. 

Ivan grinned happily and glanced back up at Alfred, who was smiling happily back down at him as he slowly pulled the curtains of the balcony closed. 

Unseen by the two young Princes was the Queen of Spades, high above them, watching from his own window with a wicked glare upon his face.

Filled with rage at the sight, he yanked his own window curtains closed, a plan already forming in his head. 

* * *

The Queen tapped his finger against his throne in impatient agitation as he waited for his Huntsman to enter his throne room. After seeing the Prince of Clubs serenading his stepson, he’d been filled with such an anger and jealousy that he quickly decided to set his plan into motion. 

Soon, the guards standing next to the large oak doors of the throne room pulled the heavy doors open and in walked a tall and able bodied young man. He was dressed in a simple brown tunic with green sleeves and large gray gloves. The strings of a brown cape crossed his frame to form an ‘X’ across his chest. Attached to his leather belt was a scabbard, his dagger sheathed within. His eyes were an electric blue, and his blond hair was cut short and slicked back. He walked with brown leather boots and went to kneel before the Queen.

”Your Majesty, you have called upon my presence?” The Huntsman said subserviently. 

“Yes, I believe I _have_ called upon you, Ludwig. I have a special assignment that I want carried out right away. No delays.” 

Ludwig nodded his head and rose back to his feet.

”Anything you desire, Your Majesty. I will see it done!” The Queen smiled. 

“Huntsman, you know well of my stepson, Alfred?” The Huntsman shifted his feet. 

“Yes, Your Majesty. I do. Would you like me to go and retrieve for him a gift? A fat turkey or pig perhaps for a feast?” The Queen’s smile turned sinister. He leaned back in his large throne.

”Huntsman, your mission is as follows. You are to take Alfred far into the forest. Maybe to a grove of apple trees perhaps, and tell him that he is to pick many of them for making those apple pies he loves so much.” He explained simply. The Huntsman felt himself relax, a smile coming over his face. He nodded with firmness. 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

”And then, my faithful Huntsman, you will kill him.” 

The poor Huntsman’s eyes widened in horror. He stuttered, desperation seeping into his words. 

“B-But Your Majesty! The Little Prince-!”

”Silence!” Arthur yelled, standing from his throne. “You know the penalty if you fail.” He warned the Huntsman. Defeated, he looked down at his shoes. 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

”But. To make doubly sure you do not fail me, bring back to me his heart. In this.” The Queen said, and suddenly the Huntsman realized that the Queen had been holding something to him. What he now held out to the Huntsman was a simple red box.

On the front of it, carved from gold, was a heart, with a dagger plunged through its middle. 

* * *

Alfred gasped excitedly as he rode on the back of the Huntsman’s horse, keeping one hand securely on the Huntsman’s shoulder as the other pointed toward the grove of trees in the distance.

“Ooh, those would be perfect for apple pie, don’t you think?” He asked him, a massive grin on his face. The Huntsman struggled not to let a fond smile appear, not while he was struggling with his guilt over his mission. 

“You are too focused on food for your own good.” He said instead. Alfred laughed.

“I can’t help it! It’s been so long since I’ve had a good meal. Every day I feel hungrier and hungrier.” He sighed. The Huntsman immediately felt a pang of pity and sorrow for the boy. Someone so lovely did not deserve to be starved and worked to the point of exhaustion. And yet somehow the boy remained so kind to him.

They dismounted the horse close to the grove of trees, the Huntsman helping Alfred down gently. Alfred smoothed out his outfit he picked to wear, one of the few outfits he was allowed to have that looked decent and was not made of rags. It was a cerulean blue vest, with long, poofy paned sleeves, slashes of deep red and white appearing through. He was wearing tan breeches and simple brown boots. A brown cape completed his look. In addition to the outfit, he had removed his cloth headdress and let his hair loose, the golden strands falling in short waves about the boy’s face, all except for one strand that seemed determined to stay up. The Huntsman then gave Alfred a small whicker basket and sent him off to collect the best apples he could find.

While Alfred picked through the apples and appraised each one, he couldn’t help but think about the Prince he had met earlier. How handsome he was, how kind and sweet, and most of all his beautiful song had replayed itself in his head over and over. Alfred soon found himself humming the Prince’s song to himself, and singing the words. 

“One song, I have but one song..” He sang, smiling dreamily as he continued on. As he was humming, he suddenly heard the distressed chirping of a baby bird near him. He turned around, setting his basket down, and saw a baby bird sitting against the forest floor looking lost and tearful. He gasped at the sad sight and came over. 

“Why, hello there!” Alfred said softly. He leaned down and picked up the delicate creature into his palms. 

“Where’s your mamma and papa?” He asked it. When the bird gave more sad chirps, he looked around and saw no other birds nearby.

”Well, I believe you’re lost. Oh, please don’t cry! Come on, perk up! Won’t you smile for me?” He asked softly, tapping the underside of the bird’s small beak to cheer it up. Slowly, the bird cheered up, chirping happily. Alfred smiled along with it.

”That’s better! Your parents can’t be far now. Look! There they are! Can you fly?” He asked it, pointing in the direction of a tall tree where he saw two larger birds suddenly appear on a branch high up. Alfred raised his hand up and let the bird precariously leap off his finger and soar back up to its parents. The Prince waved goodbye happily, unaware of the approaching presence. 

“Goodbye! Goodbye!” He called, waving. Then he noticed the shadow overtaking his own against the trees. He froze, his breath freezing in his lungs. He slowly turned around to see the Huntsman raising his dagger above his head, preparing a fatal strike. 

Alfred’s eyes widened in terror as he backed up against one of the trees. He let out a scream as he saw the dagger about to come down, and covered his head with his arms as he turned away, trembling. Not wanting to feel or see the approaching impact.

While he was turned away, the Huntsman’s dagger suddenly froze. 

His hands shook as he held the dagger in the air, trying to go through with his mission. But then the Huntsman collapsed to the Prince’s feet, dropping his dagger into the grass. He clutched at the Prince’s cape. 

“I can’t! I can’t do it!” He cried. “Forgive me! I beg you, Your Highness! Forgive me!” He trailed off into sobs of regret. Alfred’s shaking arms slowly lowered back down, and he looked upon the crying Huntsman in apprehension.

”I-I don’t... I don’t understand.” Alfred whispered, voice shaking.

”He’s mad! Jealous of you! He’ll stop at nothing!” The Huntsman cried.

”But.. But who?”

”The Queen!”

”The Queen?” Alfred whispered then, eyes widening in shock. 

 “You must run child! Run! Run away!” The Huntsman then said, desperately. He stood once more. 

“Hide! In the woods, anywhere! Go! Go!” He yelled as Alfred took trembling steps backwards deeper into the forest. 

“Never come back! Now go! Go! Run! Run! Hide! Anywhere!” 

With the Huntsman’s words in his head and the presence of the Queen’s attempt to kill him still hanging in the air, Alfred turned and began to run as fast as he could into the forest. Within moments, the young Prince disappeared out of sight of the desperate Huntsman. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note:  
> -Snow White takes place around the Tudor times, so mid to late 1500s. Therefore if you ever want to get a better idea of the characters outfits you can look up some clothing from that era!


	3. With A Smile And A Song

_“She ran over sharp stones and through thorns, and wild animals jumped at her, but they did her no harm” -Little Snow White, The Brothers Grimm_

_~~~~~~~~~~_

The fallen leaves and dead grass crunched under Alfred’s feet as he sprinted, terrified, through the forest. 

He accidentally ran into a jungle of hanging vines, getting caught up in the tangles masses. He pushed and pulled at the vines, forcing his way through before continuing down the path. He froze in his path as he passed a fallen tree, and was horrified to see glowing yellow eyes glaring at him. The creature in the tree cawed and flew out at her. With a scream, the frantic Prince continued down a different path. 

He had barely started on this new path before seeing multiple pairs of smaller glowing eyes hiding inside another large dead tree, and the creatures lunged at her, tearing past his cape. He turned and ran down a different path, and this time he felt more confident in this route. However, his hopes were quickly dashed when something suddenly caught at his cape, stopping him suddenly and nearly throwing him off his feet. He glanced back and saw what appeared to be spindly thin hands caught in his cape. He cried out in fear, desperately pulling at his cape and trying to break free. He yanked and pulled until he managed to break free, and he stumbled back from the sudden release by the spindly hands. 

His stumbling made him crash into another spindly dead tree, tangling himself once more in it as it’s dead hands caught on his cape and clothing. Struggling free from the plants grip, he ran on down the path until he came upon a tree stump with gnarled dead branches and carved out center that gave it the appearance of a monster. Crying out in surprise, he stumbled away from the tree, only to feel nothing but air beneath his foot.

Alfred screamed as he fell backward down a dark cliff, clawing desperately for anything he could grab on to. In the nick of time he felt his hands touch something and he clutched it tight with both hands, stopping his fall.

Looking down, he saw a murky swamp lurking below him as he desperately hung in the air above it. The vine he had grabbed onto suddenly gave way and snapped, making him fall the rest of the way and splash into the water. He trudged to his feet, thankful that the water wasn’t deep. However, the logs that had been in the water had been disrupted by the waves his fall made, and they bobbed up and down, their rotted wood and holes bobbing up and down. Alfred wiped his hair out of his eyes and saw the supposed alligators swimming toward him. He let out another scream and rushed from the water as fast as he could onto dry land once again. 

He ran past countless dead trees, the heavy wind blowing their skeletal hands out toward him, glowing yellow eyes seemingly following him everywhere. 

He finally reached a dead end, and froze in his place at the sight of seemingly hundreds of yellow eyes. He spun around, and in each and every direction horrible monsters were reaching out for him, lunging at him, ready to kill him just like his stepfather.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore, and with one last scream of fear, he collapsed in on himself, his exhaustion finally catching up to him. He buried his head in his arms on the forest floor and cried his heart out, panting from lack of breath and waiting for the monsters to finish him off.

* * *

Alfred didn’t know how long he cried. He only knew that at some point, he suddenly felt a small soft object rubbing against his outstretched arm. 

He slowly looked up, shaking with fear and not knowing what to expect. He let out a cry of surprise at the sight of a small furry creature, and it scattered back to its hiding place in the shadows from fright. Alfred sat up, taking deep breaths to calm himself and realized that the creature had been a small brown rabbit. He looked around and suddenly he realized that he was surrounded by woodland creatures. Deer, rabbits, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and multiple others. 

“Oh, please don’t run away!” Alfred said shakily, still trying to calm himself down after the terrifying ordeal he’d just been through. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He said, and he saw the creatures peeking out of their hiding places to examine the young Prince. 

“I’m awfully sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. But you don’t know what I’ve been through! And all because I was afraid..” Alfred said, looking down to the forest floor. 

“I’m so ashamed of the fuss I’ve made!” He said sadly. Then he looked back up at them, an idea in his head. 

“What do you do when things go wrong?” He asked the creatures, looking around for an answer. One of the birds chirped a song to him, and he beamed in response.

”Oh! You sing a song!” He clapped excitedly. “So do I! Whenever I’m feeling upset or when things are going badly for me, I just sing a song to help me get through it!” He said happily. The birds chirped in response, and Alfred decided to sing a melody with them.

“Ah-ah-ah-ah ah ah!” He harmonized. A young baby bird responded to his tune, mimicking his harmony.

”Ah-ah-ah-ah ah ah!” Alfred sang again, a little higher pitched than before. Once again, the young bird responded and mimicked his sound. 

“Ah-ah-ah-ah ah ah!” Alfred said a final time, singing in the highest pitch he could muster. The baby bird flew down to rest on his finger. He tried to repeat the high sound, but failed miserably to reach the pitch and made more of an annoying whistling sound instead.

Alfred giggled at the attempt, and began to sing a song for them.

”With a smile and a song! 

Life is just like a bright sunny day!

Your cares fade away, and your heart is young!” As he sang, the animals gained the courage to come out from their hiding places and slowly approach the singing Prince. 

“With a smile and a song!

 All the world seems to waken anew!

Rejoicing with you, as the song is sung!” One chipmunk curiously went up to the boy, and Alfred smiled at the creature as he sang. He reached out to pet it, but the wary chipmunk wavered and scurried away.

“There’s no use in grumbling,

When the raindrops come tumbling!

Remember you’re the one!” A fawn approached him next, and he nudged his nose gently against the baby’s. 

“Who can fill the world with sunshine!” The deer finally allowed Alfred to pet his head, and the rest of the woodland creatures quickly followed, going over and resting in his lap to listen to his song.

”When you smile and you sing!

Everything is in tune and it’s spring!

And life flows along,

With a smile and a song!” He finished, petting as many woodland creatures as he could as more surrounded him and sat or laid against him. He rested one of his arms around the baby deer, while the other ones gently stroked the bunny’s ears back.

The animals all chirped and cheered after Alfred finished, and his smile grew.

”I really feel quite happy now!” He said, looking at all of his new friends.

”Everything’s going to be alright.” He said, and all the animals nodded firmly at him. Then he remembered something that made his smile quickly disappear. 

“But I do need a place to sleep a night. I can’t sleep in the ground like some of you! Or in a tree like others. And I’m sure a nest couldn’t possibly be big enough to fit me!” He joked lightly.

”Maybe you know where I can stay. In the woods somewhere?” He asked them. The animals exchanged glances at eachother before they chattered excitedly at him.

”You do!? Can you take me there?” Alfred asked excitedly, and they all scurried to their feet and began to urge him in a specific direction, birds pulling at his cape to urge him along. 

They walked through the woods together, passing by ponds and hills as the animals led the young Prince to his destination. 

Eventually, they ascended the last high hill and past through some small trees before they emerged on a site overlooking a beautiful cottage along a river, a small wooden bridge connecting each side of the river together. 

Alfred gasped in wonder, staring at the idyllic scene that lay ahead of him. “Woah... this place is so beautiful! It looks like a doll house!” He cooed, carefully making his way down the hill and across the small wooden bridge. The animals followed him as he went. He crept up to the cottage, and gently knocked on the door. 

“Hello?” Alfred asked cautiously. He waited for a noise, but heard nothing. Behind him, the animals shared a glance. Alfred hummed, and then decided to move to the adjacent window. Wiping some dust away from the glass, he peered through to see into only darkness. Frowning, Alfred turned back to his friends. “I guess there’s nobody home.” He said, moving back to the door. 

“Perhaps I should just go inside and check?” He asked, slowly opening the front door. He stepped into the house, looking around him as the animals looked around too. They wandered further into the house, taking in every detail, when suddenly Alfred cried out.

The animals jumped a mile in surprise and began tripping over themselves to run out of the door. They stopped however, at the sound of Alfred’s laughter. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You’re fine! Just... look at this!” He gestures excitedly to what he found. “It’s a little chair!” He laughed to himself, sitting down in the little chair for a small rest. Glancing around, the noticed more chairs situated around a small table. 

“There’s seven little chairs!” He said, wondering to himself why. “Must be seven little children. Do you think this is an orphanage?” He asked his slowly recovering friends. The animals shook their heads.

Alfred turned back to the table, noticing the stacks of dirty dishes and tools and silverware and clothing discarded all over the table. Alfred frowned. “Well from the looks of this table, it must be seven untidy little children.” He said, shaking his head. He got up and looked around on the table. Opening a pot, he grimaced and pulled out a shoe. “How refined!” He said bemusedly. The birds whistled their disapproval. 

Alfred smiled and looked around the rest of the house. “Oh lord, the entire house is filthy! The fireplace is covered with dust! There’s cobwebs all along the walls! And look! Even the broom is gathering dust!” He said in distaste. Then he got an idea. “Wait a moment,” he gasped. “What if we cleaned the house for them? Then maybe they’ll let me stay!” He said happily. 

The birds chirped their agreement to the idea. Alfred took off his cape and handed it to his feathered friends for them to hang up. Then he turned and surveyed the room, humming to himself and wondering where to start. He turned to the sink, and addressed the chipmunks and squirrels gathered around the piles of dirty dishes. “Now you wash the dishes!” He said. Then he turned to a group of bunnies. “And you all tidy up the room!” Alfred turned to the fireplace next, and addressed another group consisting of more chipmunks and bunnies. “You clean the fireplace,” he instructed, grabbing the broom from its dusty corner. “And I’ll use the broom!”

As they got to working, the birds began to hum a tune. Catching up, Alfred happily began to sing another song to occupy them while they worked. 

“Just whistle while you work..” he sang, the birds mimicking his syllables with their own chirps. “And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place!”

Nearby, a turtle with dirty dishes stacked on his back began to make his way to the sink to get them washed.

“So hum a merry tune!” He hummed after singing. “It won’t take long when there’s a song to help you set the pace!” The deer dusted off the chairs with their fluffy tales, and the chipmunks dried off the washed plates with their own fluffy tailes. 

“And as you sweep the room! Imagine that the broom, is someone that you love and soon you’ll find you’re dancing to the tune!” Alfred looked over to see the deer licking the plates clean. Alfred gasped. “No no no!” He chastised them. They abruptly stopped and looked over at him, confused. “Put them in the tub!” Alfred called. They nodded and began to get back to work, the chipmunks pushing the dishes into the crowded sink and pushing down on the levar to pump in water. 

“When hearts are high the time will fly so whistle while you work!” Alfred turned to see some chipmunks sweeping the gathered dust underneath a rug. He smiled and called out to them. “Not under the rug!” He said, and the chipmunks exchanged confused glances before shrugging and sweeping the dust into a mouse hole instead. Their plan backfired immediately when an angry mouse blew the dust right back into their faces and came out to scold them.

After they finished their cleaning, Alfred and the rest of the animals began to dust off the rest of the house. Alfred dusted off an old, intricately carved piano in the corner. The chipmunks were up on the ceiling taking down the forest of cobwebs that had gathered. Some birds flew in through the opened windows with fresh golden flowers from the field outside, planting them in a vase on the table that Alfred had found and picking up the fallen leaves. 

Once the dusting was done, Alfred helped pick up the dirty clothing and loaded them into a deer’s back to be taken outside and washed in the nearby pond by the raccoons. Alfred stood on the porch with his broom. “So whistle while you work!” He sang, letting a little blue jay land on his finger as he harmonized the end of his working tune. 

Now that he was done cleaning, he just had to wait for the little children to get home. 


	4. The Seven Dwarfs

_“They lit their seven candles, and as soon as it was light in their house they saw that someone had been there, for not everything was in the same order as they had left it” -Little Snow White, The Brothers Grimm_

_~~~~~~~~~~_

Down in the mines, seven men were busy hacking away at the glittering jewels with their pickaxes, singing a tune to keep them occupied.

”We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig in our mine the whole day through! To dig dig dig dig dig dig dig is what we like to do!” 

“It ain’t no trick to get rich quick!” “If ya dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick!” Sang one happy dwarf with bright red hair and a curl sticking out of his head, continued by another miner with a curl similar to the first one’s, except with darker hair.

”In a mine!” Sang a shy dwarf with sleek black hair and dark brown eyes. Despite his quieter voice, the rest of the dwarves echoed his line. “In a mine!” 

“In a mine!” Sang another smaller dwarf with messy light blonde hair and sky blue eyes. His line was also echoed, but was drowned out by a sudden loud sneeze. 

They all chorused together the climax to their tune.

“Where a million diamonds shine!”

”We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig from early morn ‘til night! We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig up everything in sight!”

”We dig up diamonds by the score!” One dwarf sang as another kindly looking dwarf with neat blonde hair and caramel eyes examined the collection of diamonds. “A thousand rubies sometimes more!”

”Though we don’t know what we dig ‘em for..” “We dig dig dig-a-dig dig!” Silent from the other working dwarves was a very young dwarf, still only a child. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a little blue and white cap on his head. He was scooping up unwanted pieces of jewels to discard of in a small creek nearby.  

Afterwards, he went to timidly stand by the dwarf examining the diamonds, watching him peer through a glass to examine the stones closely. Wanting to follow his lead, he smiled and grabbed two diamonds from the table and held them against his eyes, nudging the working dwarf to get his attention. Turning to look at the young dwarf, he gasped and glared at him, knocking the jewels out of his hands with a whack to the head. The young dwarf smiled sheepishly.

Suddenly the clock mantled to a nearby tree struck five. 

The diamond-examining dwarf beamed and turned towards the other dwarfs. “Heigh-ho!” He called. 

“Heigh-ho!” They all called back. They all grabbed their pickaxes and began to fall into line as they descended the stairs of the mine. “Heigh-go! Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!” With the angry looking dwarf leading the march, the dwarves began their trek back home, single file as they exited the mine with their pickaxes held over their shoulders. 

“Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, it’s Home from work we go!” They whistled as they tossed bags of mined jewels into a storage closet built into a mountain. “Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! It’s home from work we go!” Locking the store closet, the young dwarf quickly ran to catch up to his marching peers, falling into line behind them. 

The Dwarfs marched through the hills and mountains, singing their song as they went. They walked along a fallen tree trunk that acted as a bridge past a steep cliff. Successfully passing, they began a trek downhill past a glistening waterfall. The trickling water was a peaceful sight, and a reminder of what peaceful place lay just ahead: their home. 

* * *

 Darkness soon fell over the land, and with it Alfred knew he needed to rest after a long day of cleaning. Plus, he still hadn’t explored upstairs in the cottage. With his forest friends around him, he made his way over to the cutely small wooden staircase, the light from his candle casting shadows upon the old stairs and wooden wall panels as he began the careful journey upstairs.

Standing on the stairway landing, he stood on his tiptoes to see if he could see anything from where he was. Unsuccessful, he hummed and turned back to his friends. “Let’s see what’s upstairs, huh?” He said with a smile and walked upstairs, his animal friends clambering up behind him. On the second floor immediately on the left side was an intricately carved door. Alfred slowly turned the door handle and pushed the door inward, cringing at the loud creaking noise it made. 

Light spilled into the room from his candle as Alfred entered past the doorway. He looked around the large room, and immediately his eyes caught on seven little beds lined against the walls. Alfred gasped and beamed. “Oh, what adorable little beds!” He said, laughing and striding forward into the room. His animal friends were just as excitedly exploring the rooms’ contents, looking over vases, buckets, chests, and tools placed haphazardly in the corners of the room. 

On the left side of the room were three beds, with another three placed on opposite places along the right wall. And on the northern wall directly opposite the door was a solitary bed. Alfred ran his eyes over the bed posts and noticed names carved into the wood on the front of each bed. “And look! They have their names carved on them!” He faced the solitary bed first and read off the names. “Doc.. Happy.. Sneezy.. Dopey..” Alfred suddenly laughed, nearly dropping his candle. “What funny names for children!” He then looked at the remaining three beds. “Grumpy.. Bashful.. and Sleepy.” 

After reading off the names, Alfred suddenly realized how tired he was. “I’m a little sleepy myself,” he sighed. He set down his candle on a mantel. Stretching his arms out, he yawned, and so did the rest of the animals. Deciding to take a rest, he went to one of the groups of three beds and let himself fall backwards into the surprisingly soft sheets and blankets. A chipmunk managed to pull a pillow from Happy’s bed forward so that Alfred’s head landed comfortably onto it. 

A bird flew over to the mantel and snuffed the candle, descending the room back into darkness. Then the other birds pulled a blanket forward to cover the sleeping Prince as he slept soundly. The forest animals then crawled into beds of their own and settled down to rest. 

* * *

Not a few moments later, the animals stirred when they heard the sound of singing approaching the quiet cottage. 

“Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! It’s home from work we go!” 

All of the animals scurried out of bed and went to the windowsill to peer outside. Seeing the approaching Dwarfs, all frantically scattered out of the room and down the staircase, passing by a poor turtle who had finally managed to climb the staircase the first time. The turtle smiled and turned back around. He took a step down the stairs before stumbling and bouncing down the rest of the stairs on his shell before crashing dizzily into a wall. 

The animals scurried out of the front door and into the darkness of the forest outside, watching from behind a fallen log as the Dwarfs approached. 

The Dwarfs, with the leader holding a lantern, marched onwards as they saw their house in the distance. But suddenly the leader noticed something wrong. He froze, pointing to their cottage. “Look!” He called. His sudden stop caused the rest of the Dwarfs to crash into each other, cutting their chant off. They dropped their tools with surprise.

“Our house! The lits light.. uh, the light’s lit!” He said. Suspecting an intruder, the Dwarfs gathered together behind some trees and peered out from behind them. “Jiminy Crickets..” They all whispered in unison. “The door’s open!” “The chimney’s smoking!” “Something’s in there!” “Maybe a ghost!” “Or a goblin!” “A demon! Or a dragon!” They all said fearfully amongst each other. The angry dwarf looked back at the others. “Mark my words, there’s trouble brewing! I felt it all day!” 

The Dwarfs glanced amongst each other. “What do we do?” One dwarf asked. “Let’s sneak up on it!” The leading dwarf, the same one who examined the diamonds in the mine, agreed. “Yes, Let’s do it! Come on hen- er, uh, men! Follow me!” He said before tiptoeing toward the house, the other men following with their tools picked back up. They went up to the front of the house and peered through the windows and the open front door. Seeing nothing dangerous, the leader ushered them toward him and poked his head through the doorway.

They all began to tiptoe into the house, pickaxes raised. The young dwarf followed last, closing the door behind him. It closed with a slam, scaring all of the Dwarfs into a frenzy. When they realized it wasn’t a monster, they lowered their pickaxes and shushed the young dwarf, who nodded fearfully. Then he turned and shushed the door.

They continued on before the leader spoke again. “Look! The floor! It’s been swept!” He said, amazed. The angry dwarf wiped a finger along a chair and huffed. “The chairs been dusted!” The cheerful dwarf examined the windows and exclaimed, “our windows been washed!” The shy dwarf looked up and said, “Oh my! Our cobwebs are missing!” The leader looked around, confused and uncertain. “Why, the whole place is clean!” Still, the angry dwarf glared. “I’m sure there’s still dirty work afoot!” He hissed at the leader, who nodded intimidatedly in return. 

A few other dwarfs looked into the sink. “The sink is empty! Someone stole our dishes!” He cried. The happy dwarf turned to look into the cabinets. “They aren’t stolen! They’re up here in the cupboard!” The shy dwarf quickly reached for one of his cups. “My cup has been washed. The sugar is gone.” 

The cheerful dwarf noticed the hearth in the kitchen, cooking up something in a heavy pot. “Something is cooking!” He said, and sniffed the aroma. “Smells good!” He said excitedly, reaching for a spoon. It was suddenly ripped by out of his hand by the angry dwarf. “Don’t touch it, you idiots! Might be poison!” The pot suddenly screamed as air rushed out of the brewing stew, rattling the lid. The Dwarfs jumped back in surprise. “See!” The angry dwarf pointed. “It’s witches brew!”

Meanwhile, the leader approached the table. “Look what’s happened to our stable- uh, table!” He said, examining the placements. A plate was set in front of each chair, a bowl sitting on top of it and silverware placed on either side. “Flowers!” Another dwarf marveled, examining the vase of flowers in the middle of the table. 

A dwarf beside them suddenly gasped. “No! Take it away! You know I have hay fever! I can’t-“ he stuttered, backing away quickly. However, a loud sneeze still came over him, deafening in the silence and making everybody jump a mile in the air. The Dwarfs gasped, terrified. Frozen, they all went deathly silent, looking around for signs of someone approaching them. No sound was heard. Slowly, they began to relax, breathing out in relief. Then they all turned glares to the offending dwarf and shushed him too. The dwarf flushed in embarrassment and looked away guiltily.

Looking around, they saw nothing else out of place. “Perhaps the being is hiding upstairs?” Suggested the shy dwarf, who turned red and returned to silence as everybody turned to look at him. They all turned to the staircase. “Yes, you might be right. We should go up there and check!” The leader said, heading over to the stairs. As he reached the landing, he stopped and turned back around. “Wait, somebody should go up alone. Then they can chase him up- er, uh, down!” He said, nodding firmly at his idea. The Dwarfs thought this over and seemed to like the idea. Then, their gazed slowly turned to the young, trembling dwarf who was trying to hide behind a chair. He paled immediately.

He started to shake his head in a furious no and attempted to run for the exit, but before he could, the rest of the Dwarfs jumped at him and tackled him to the floor. They dragged him kicking and clawing back towards the stairway landing. When they forced him on the first step, he gave up the fight and turned fearful eyes to the others instead. The leader quickly handed him his candle and patted him on the head. “Here, take this. Don’t be nervous, we’re right behind ya!” He said, trying to sound positive but still unable to hide the quaking fear in his voice or trembling hands. 

The child nodded shakily and began to ascend the stairs, quietly cringing at each creak of the old wood as he stepped onto it. Reaching the second floor, he carefully grabbed the door handle of their bedroom and pushed in, slowly inching his candle into the room ahead of himself first as his head followed it in from behind the door. Not noticing anything at first, he pushed the door the rest of the way open and slowly crept inside the room.

Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he turned to motion the others to come upstairs, when suddenly a strange sound pierced his ears in the silence. Silently gasping, he whirled his head around towards the sound. He realized then that there was a figure in their beds, covered in white and groaning, as if a ghost in pain! 

Trembling in fear, the child let out a shriek of terror and sprinted out of the room so fast his candle went flying out of his hands, extinguishing in midair before landing somewhere in the room. He crashed into the other Dwarfs as soon as he rounded the corner towards the stairs, sending them all crashing downstairs with a shout. 

Overwhelmed by panic, the Dwarfs scrambled to their feet and ran outside again, slamming the door and holding it closed once they were all outside. After gathering up their courage slowly, they came up with a new plan. “We need to stop running like children! It’s time we take this beast head on!” The leader said to his companions, who nodded angrily. They started to gather up their pickaxes that were left outside and began to slowly reenter the house, this time determined to face the beast and kill it for breaking into their home!

They got a new light, headed up the stairs, and gathered outside the bedroom again. This time, the leader slowly pushed open the door and let his lantern light up the room before poking his head inside. Finding the coast clear, he opened the door all the way and they all began to tiptoe into the room, weapons raised and ready. As they walked in, they noticed the figure in white moving around in their bed, still groaning as the child had described to his companions outside. They realized that whatever it was was covered by a white blanket. The figure slowly rested back down against the bed, motionless and silent once more. 

They turned to confer with each other. “Let’s kill it before it wakes up.” The leader whispered. “Which end do we kill?” One dwarf asked before being shushed. Gulping, the Dwarfs continued to make their way towards the beds, even more cautiously now. They circled around the bed and raised their pickaxes and clubs high, ready to attack the vicious beast.

On a count of three, they yanked the white covers off of the figure. Immediately, the Dwarfs swung their weapons down, but froze just as quickly as they took in the sight of the figure laying in the beds. They saw a small, young boy fast sleep on the beds, his chest slowly rising and falling. He had clear, white skin and red lips. His lashes were long and curved over supple, pink cheeks, and his hair fell in golden waves over his forehead, almost shimmering in the candle light. 

“Well!” Said the leader, breathlessly. “It’s a young boy!” “He’s mighty handsome!” Cooed one dwarf, leaning against the bedpost as he took in the boy’s immense beauty. “He is remarkably beautiful!” Remarked the shy dwarf, who stared in shock at the surprising sight as well. “Just like an angel..”

”Angel!?” Huffed the angry dwarf. “He’s a child! All children are spoiled and lazy and immature!” He hissed. “We already have one kid to deal with here!” He said, gesturing towards the young dwarf behind him, who looked down sadly. “Shush!” The leader said suddenly. “You’ll wake him up!” The angry dwarf rolled his eyes. “Aw, let him wake up! He doesn’t even belong here!” He shouted. 

Then the young boy began to shift in the beds. The Dwarfs gasped. “He’s waking up!” “He’s moving!” “What do we do!?” “I don’t know!” They all cried. “Hide!” Whispered the leader, and they all ducked in front of the front bedposts as the boy began to sit up. 

“Oh, dear..” Alfred groaned, sitting up and stretching out his arms and neck after the rest he had. He yawned, “I wonder if the children are..” he paused as he noticed many figures trying to hide behind the beds. Their faces peered over the bedposts, blinking at him. Alfred cried out in surprise, making them jump and duck back down. Slowly though, their faces returned to peek over curiously at him again. 

“Why... you’re little men!” Alfred said then, a small smile on his face. The Dwarfs exchanged glances. Then they stood to their full height. Alfred grinned. “How do you do?” He asked him kindly. More glances were exchanged. Alfred frowned, looking at all of them. “I said,” he repeated. “How do you do?” 

“How do you do what?” Grumbled the angry dwarf, crossing his arms. Alfred immediately started laughing. “Oh you can talk! I’m so glad!” He giggled, bringing his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “Now don’t tell me who you are, let me guess!” He said. He looked at the first dwarf. “I know! You’re Doc!” Alfred said, looking at the leader. He blushed, beaming. “Why, yes! Yes!” He said, nodding. “The names on our beds are just our nicknames, however. My real name is Tino, but feel free to refer to us by our nicknames instead, dear!” He said kindly. Alfred nodded with a smile and moved on down the line. “And you’re...” the dwarf blushed under Alfred’s look. “You’re Bashful!” Alfred said. Bashful blushed even more. “Hai, but my real name is Kiku.” He said with a polite nod. “And you..” the next dwarf yawned. “You’re Sleepy!” Alfred said with a laugh. Sleepy smiled softly at him and nodded. “My real name is Heracles.” 

Alfred looked to the next one. “And you...” He was cut off by a loud sneeze. Alfred grinned. “You’re Sneezy!” Sneezy gave him a nervous wave. “Hello there! My real name’s Raivis.” He said timidly. “Yes,” Alfred said. “And you must be..” “Happy! But my real name is Veneziano!” Happy said excitedly, his curl bouncing as he rocked on the balls of his feet. Then he gestured to the child dwarf. “And this is Peter, but we call him Dopey! He can’t really speak, though!” He said, laughing. Everybody else joined in, including Alfred. “Oh, that’s too bad!” Alfred said cheerfully. Then he noticed the last dwarf. 

He glared at Alfred, crossing his arms. “Ooh!” Alfred said teasingly. “You must be Grumpy!” Alfred said, mocking a deep voice and crossing his arms. Everybody again erupted in laughter. “My name is Romano,” Grumpy hissed in response. “We know who we are! But we don’t know who he is!” He said to the others. Doc nodded, turning to face Alfred again. “He’s right. Who are you, my dear?” He asked softly. Alfred’s eyes widened. “Oh how silly of me! I’m Alfred!” He said. 

“Alfred!? The Prince!?” They all cried in shock. “Yep!” Alfred confirmed, nodding. Doc stuttered in astonishment and surprise. “W-Well, my dear Prince. We’re quite honored to have you here! We’re-“ “Mad as hornets!” Grumpy cut in. “-Mad as hornets! Wait, n-no we’re not! We’re... we’re..” Doc stuttered, at a loss for words. 

“Oh, quit your stuttering already!” Grumpy yelled. Doc glared back at him, and the two quickly descended into arguing and fighting. “Just tell her to get out!” Grumpy yelled finally.

Alfred’s heart sank into his chest. Desperation filled his words as he begged the Dwarfs. “No, please! Please don’t send me away! If you do, he’ll kill me!” He cried, trying to stifle down panic at the prospect of being left in the darkness of the woods with his stepfather out to have him killed. “Kill you?” Gasped Doc. “Who will?” Questioned Happy. “Yes, who?” Added Doc again. 

“My stepfather, the Queen.” Alfred said. Immediately all of the Dwarfs froze. “The Queen!?” They all shouted in unison. “He’s wicked!” “He’s bad!” “He’s mighty mean!” “He’s an old witch!” Grumpy added last among the shouted declarations. “I’m warning you all right now. If the Queen finds him here, he’ll swoop down and wreak his vengeance on us!” He proclaimed with a swooping gesture of his hands. “But he doesn’t know where I am.” Alfred stated matter-of-factly. Grumpy scoffed. “The Queen knows everything. He’s full of black magic! He could even make himself invisible!” He looked all around the room. “He might be in this room right now!” 

Alfred smiled. “Oh he’ll never find me here. And if you let me stay, I’ll keep house for you even!” He began to count off his fingers. “I’ll wash and sew and sweep and cook and..” Alfred jumped in surprise when all the Dwarfs yelled out, “Cook!?”

”Can you make dapple lumpkins.. uh, apple dumplings?” Doc asked him. Alfred grinned. “Yeah! I think I could do that! And also plum pudding and apple pie..” “Apple pie!? He’s staying!” All the Dwarfs shouted in unison, except for Grumpy, who just stood in the back with his arms crossed.

With that declaration, the Dwarfs’ household officially added a new member to their unconventional family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there’s the next chapter! We finally meet the Dwarfs here! I hope you like the creativity with which the selections for the Dwarfs were made! If you’d like a list to help you keep track, here are our Dwarfs below!
> 
> Doc - Finland  
> Happy - Italy  
> Grumpy - Romano  
> Sneezy - Latvia  
> Sleepy - Greece  
> Bashful - Japan  
> Dopey - Sealand
> 
> What do you think of the selections? (It also helps that all of these countries are short anyways haha!) What kind of relationship do you think Alfred will have with the Dwarfs? 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Consider this one a late Valentines Day present!


	5. A Special Sort of Death

_“This startled the Queen, for she knew that the mirror did not lie, and she realized that the Huntsman had deceived her, and that Snow White was still alive” -Little Snow White, The Brothers Grimm_

           ~~~~~~~~~~

Alfred quickly rushed down the stairs and over to the hearth to check on his boiling stew. He grabbed a rag and used it to lift the hot metal lid. With his other hand he grabbed a wooden spoon and scooped up a sample of the food. After blowing away the steam, he tasted it. The Dwarfs gathered out on the small staircase landing just outside their bedroom and gazed over at Alfred curiously. They all sniffed the air, getting a whiff of the aroma wafting throughout the house. They all sighed in pleasure at what they smelled. “Soup! Hooray!” They all exclaimed in excitement and rushed down the staircase, leaving Dopey with his head trapped in the stairwell landing railing. 

The Dwarfs swarmed the messy dining table and almost immediately began fighting over the bread. Dopey finally managed to free his head and rush down the stairs to join in the fray. “Uh uh uh! Just a minute!” Alfred called, silencing the shouting immediately. The Dwarfs turned to Alfred. “Supper’s not quite ready. You’ll have just enough time to wash.” He said, turning back to the hearth. “Wash?” The Dwarfs all asked. They leaned in close to each other and whispered conspiratorially. “Why wash?” “What for? We don’t have anywhere to.” 

Grumpy huffed, slamming down his spoon. “I knew there was a catch to it.” He muttered. 

Alfred turned back to them with a smirk. “Oh, maybe you’ve already washed then?” “Perhaps we.. oh, yes! Perhaps we have!” Doc said, fluttering his eyelashes at him. Alfred put his hands on his hips. “When?” He asked, looking at the Dwarfs with an expression that said he was clearly not amused. “When? Eh..” Doc started. “..Recently.” He came up with lamely. Still, the Dwarfs acted on it. “Yes, recently!” They said. Alfred grinned. “Oh! Recently..” he said. The Dwarfs nodded. “Let me see your hands, then.” The young Prince commanded them. 

Seven pairs of hands were quickly hidden behind their backs. They stepped back until their backs were pressed against the wall as Alfred approached them. “Let me see your hands!” Alfred said again, standing once more as if to scold them. Doc was the first to fold. He held out his hands to Alfred, revealing dirt and grime covering his palms and fingernails. “Why, Doc!” Alfred said, smirking. “I’m surprised.” Doc chuckled nervously and removed his hands. Bashful was next, revealing hands in a similar state. “Oh Bashful.. my, my, my..” Alfred tutted. One by one the Dwarfs showed their hands. “How shocking!” Alfred fake gasped, clearly expecting this. 

Alfred sighed. “This will never do. March straight outside and wash,” Alfred said, eyes closed and hand pointed towards the door, “or you’ll not get a bite to eat.” After a beat of silence, the Dwarfs began a slow march towards the door. Eventually, the only one left was Grumpy, who rolled his eyes at the pathetic display of his companions getting ordered around by a child. Alfred raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, aren’t you going to wash?” Grumpy turned away from him. “What’s the matter?” Alfred asked, leaning down with his hands on his knees. “Cat got your tongue?” Instead of replying, Grumpy whirled around and stuck his tongue out at him. Then he marched angrily out of the door, leaving a giggling Alfred in the kitchen. 

Once outside, he sat down on a barrel. “Heh, spoiled children!” He muttered. “Ready men?” Doc’s voice brought Grumpy’s attention to the other Dwarfs, who were all gathered around a troff filled with water. “Don’t be nervous!” He said as they stood around the water. “Are we really gonna do it?” Questioned Sneezy. “Well, it would please the Prince,” replied Bashful. “I’ll take a chance for him!” Said Sleepy, to a chorus of agreements from the others. 

“I’m telling you! Give people like him an inch, and they’ll take a mile!” Grumpy shouted from his barrel. “Don’t listen to him!” Said Doc with a glare. “Come on now, Men!” 

“How hard do you scrub?”

”Do we wash in the tub?”

”Do you have to wash where it doesn’t show?”

”Now, now, Now!” Chided Doc. “Don’t get excited. Here we go.”

In an attempt to encourage them all, they began to sing as they started to wash their hands. “Step up to the tub ‘Taint no disgrace! Just pull up your sleeves and get them in place!” Doc instructed, holding up his hands as an example. He pulled up his sleeves, mimicked scooping up the water and pretended to splash it into his face.

”Then scoop up the water and rub it on your face and go burr burr burr!” Prepared to follow the instructions, the other Dwarfs picked up their bars of soap and began to work the lather onto their hands as they watched Doc.

“Pick up the soap. Now don’t try to bluff! Work up a lather,” The Dwarfs scrubbed the suds all over their faces, “and when you got enough, get your hands full of water and you snort and you snuff and go burr burr burr!” The Dwarfs did as he said, scooping up handfuls of water and splashing it onto their faces.

”You douse and you souse, Rub and you scrub! You sputter and splash all over the tub!” The Dwarfs continued scooping water up and washing their faces.

”You may be cold and wet when you’re done, but you gotta admit it’s good and clean and fun!” One of the Dwarfs looked over to one of the bars of soap, noticing a fly in a bubble doing his own cleaning.

”So splash all you like, ‘Taint any trick! As soon as you’re through you’ll feel mighty slick!”

”You bunch of old nanny goats! You make me sick going burr burr burr!” Grumpy called out to them, doing his own mocking imitation of their washing. Meanwhile, Doc was scrubbing the Dwarfs heads over the troff with a broom. He attempted to scrub Dopey’s head but ended up knocking the child into the tub. Doc decided to take advantage of it and started scrubbing the seat of Dopey’s pants instead.

”Hah!” Laughed Grumpy. “Next thing you know, he’ll be tying your beards up with ribbons and spraying you up with perfume!” The other Dwarfs were finishing up with their wash, drying off their faces while Doc cleaned his glasses. Dopey was knocking water from his ears. 

“A fine bunch of water lilies you turned out to be.” Mocked Grumpy, still sitting on his barrel and glaring. “I’d like to see anybody make me wash if I didn’t wanna!” 

Doc glared at him, tired of his atttide and insults. He turned to the others, cleared his throat, and motioned for them to come close to him. They all whispered together, inconspicuously pointing and glancing over at Grumpy as they conferred. Then they all moved apart again and began to slowly walk over to Grumpy, whistling. 

They circled around Grumpy’s barrel, rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet. “Get him!” Doc suddenly cried, and all of the Dwarfs jumped for Grumpy. 

The barrel shattered under their combined weight as they tackled Grumpy. They managed to grab his arms and legs and began to drag him kicking and screaming over to the tub. “Get him over to the tub!” Doc shouted. “Let me loose, you idiots! Let me loose!” Grumpy shouted in rage.

A loud splash was heard as Grumpy was tossed into the cold water. “Get the soap!” “Hold him down!” “Keep him steady!”

Doc was pouring water on Grumpy with a watering can attached to a stick, and Bashful was forcing a brush through Grumpy’s beard as the others held his arms. Happy scrubbed furiously at his head. “Now scrub real good! You can’t deny that he’ll look mighty cute as soon as he’s dry!” Doc shouted, and laughter erupted from the Dwarfs as they dumped Grumpy backwards into the water to get the soap off. 

Once they got him dry, they began to tie bows into his beard. “Doesn’t he look sweet?” Teased One dwarf. “Smells like a petunia!” Laughed Sneezy. “He sure is cute!” Added Happy, putting a flower crown on the angry dwarf’s head. 

“You’ll pay dearly for this!” Shouted Grumpy furiously. Before he could try to throttle the others though, a voice called out to them from the house. “Supper!” Alfred called, hitting his wooden spoon onto the metal cooking pot to call for their attention. Doc gasped and beamed. “Supper!” He cried. “Hooray!” The Dwarfs cheered, rushing for the house. They carelessly dumped Grumpy back into the water as they left. His flower crown was left floating on the surface until he finally emerged gasping, the crown catching on his nose instead. He glared in the house’s direction.

* * *

The moon glowed ominously over the dark facade of Spade Palace. Up in one of the towers, a single light glowed bright in the palace. 

Inside, the Queen was once again standing in front of the mirror in his alcove. This time, he held out the box in front of him, it’s contents a morbid treasure for the Queen. The golden heart on the front of the box shone bright in the candlelight, the gleaming dagger pierced straight through the middle of it. 

“Magic Mirror on the wall, who now is the fairest one of all?” Queen Arthur asked, dealthy calm. 

“Over the seven jeweled hills, beyond the seventh fall, in the cottage of the seven dwarfs dwells Prince Alfred, fairest one of all.” The mask in the mirror’s monotone voice grumbled. Purple plumes of smoke were rising up behind him in the black background of the enchanted mirror. 

“Alfred lies dead in the forest.” Arthur assured him, raising an eyebrow. “The Huntsman has brought me proof.” He said, opening the box to peer inside, making sure his prize was there. Then he held it out to the mirror. “Behold, his heart!”

”Prince Alfred still lives, the fairest in the land. ‘Tis the heart of a pig you hold in your hand.” The Mirror responded.

Arthur’s eyes widened. He glared, enraged. “The heart of a pig!” He hissed. “Then I’ve been tricked!” He slammed the box closed. He marched from the alcove, his black cape fluttering behind him. He stormed from the room and rounded the hallways until he reached the Queen’s Bedchambers. Entering, he rushed to the nearest wall and yanked back a tapestry, revealing a secret stairwell spiraling down into the darkness. 

He descended the stairs in a hurry, eventually becoming bathed in the light of torches as he approached his dungeon. He passed by the bottom of the stairs, not even caring to glance at the skeleton still chained to the wall by its neck in the corner. He passed a few more coffins and skeletons as he reached another doorway, this one even brighter than the corridor with the skeletons. 

He arrived at his secret potion room. Waiting atop a skull on a desk was his pet Raven, who glanced up at his master in alarm. Arthur slammed the door behind him. “The heart of a pig! The blundering fool!” He growled, throwing the box in a corner. The raven jumped in surprise. 

“I’ll go myself to the Dwarfs cottage, in a disguise so complete, no one will ever suspect!” He said as he approached a bookshelf with tomes on alchemy, black magic, witch craft, astrology, disguises, sorcery, and poisons. The Queen pulled the book on disguises from the shelf, a spiderweb breaking as it was torn off.

He set the book on the table and began to flip through it. “Now, a formula to transform my beauty into ugliness, change my queenly raiment to a peddler’s cloak.” He found the right page, and read off the list of ingredients. 

“Mummy dust.. to make me old.” He went over to his laboratory, bubbling green liquids boiling in various containers on the table. He mixed the dust into a mix and poured it into a chalice. Then he prepared a mix of Black night. “To shroud my clothes, the black of night.” He let a few drops fall into the chalice, turning his potion black. “To age my voice, an old hag’s cackle.” He went over to a vial of bubbling orange liquid. He turned a dial at the bottom of the container to let a purple flame erupt over the bottom, heating the vial. Immediately the hideous cackle of an old hag split the air as the liquid traveled through glass pipes and eventually dropped into the waiting chalice, now turning the potion red.

”To whiten my hair, a scream of fright.” He put the chalice under the faucet of a metallic container and twisted the knob. Immediately green drops fell into the chalice, sizzling like acid and making white mists rise into the air. From the air, a terrified scream was heard. 

Finally, Arthur went over to a high leveled window lined with metal bars, and raised the chalice up toward the night wind blowing through. “A gust of wind to fan my hate!” When the gust of wind calmed, he continued. “A thunderbolt!” He yelled, and immediately the electricity struck down, one of its beams striking the potion. “To mix it well!” 

Arthur stared back at his reflection in the bubbling green liquid in the chalice. “Now..” he whispered. “Begin thy magic spell.” He lowered the glass to his lips, and quickly swallowed up the potion as fast as he could. 

Immediately, he began to feel dizzy. The glass fell from his hand and shattered on the floor. He grasped at his throat as the world began to spin around him. He moaned in pain as thunder cracked around him. 

His hair grew out long and turned bright white. He looked down at his hands as they turned from soft and youthful to long and skeletal, the joints turning prominent in his fingers. “My hands!” He said in wicked glee. 

“My voice!” He said, as his voice turned from smooth to ragged and old. “My voice!” He said again before letting out a loud cackle. 

He turned around to face his raven. “A perfect disguise!” He said, still cackling. His midnight black cloak framed his now crooked features, grin with missing teeth, and crazed eyes that still glowed an acidic green. The raven fell back into the skull with shock and surprise. 

“And now.. a Special Sort of Death, for one so fair!” He said mockingly, going over to pull down the tome on poisons and flipping through the pages. “Aha!” He cried with wicked glee. “The poisoned apple...” He hissed. He began to read the page. “‘Sleeping Death...’” He read aloud, already chuckling gleefully. “‘One taste of the Posioned Apple, and the victim’s eyes will close forever in the Sleeping Death.’”

He grinned, looking up at the raven. “Well, it’s a good thing our Alfred is fond of apples, isn’t it?” He said, and erupted into another mad bout of cackling. He didn’t care to try to hide the sound of it as it echoed throughout the dark hallways of Spades Palace. 


	6. Someday my Prince Will Come

_“Then she thought, and thought again, how she could kill Snow White. For as long as she was not the most beautiful woman in the entire land her envy would give her no rest” -Little Snow White, The Brothers Grimm_

_~~~~~~~~~_

The music echoed loudly into the night. The forest animals watched from the window, nodding their heads to the rhythm as the Dwarfs played their music.

Everybody was in the living room now, and Alfred was seated on a chair and excitedly watching the Dwarfs play their music as Happy and Dopey danced in circles with their arms linked. All together, they were singing their favorite yodel. Alfred was clapping along, trying to contain his laughter at the adorable sight in front of him. 

Grumpy was sitting at the intricately carved piano in the corner with bunnies carved into the front of the instrument and totem polls sitting on top, each one blasting out a sound with each press of its designated piano key. 

Happy approached Alfred, his curl bouncing excitedly as he cleared his throat to sing his part of the song. “I’d like to dance and tap my feet, but they won’t keep in rhythm! You see, I washed them both today and I can’t do nothing with them!” He then began to do a little jig with his feet, and Alfred burst out laughing, nodding his head.

”Ho-hum, the tune is dumb, the words don’t mean a thing!

Isnt this a silly song for anyone to sing?” The Dwarfs all sang out as Happy finished his little dance. Dopey was busy in the corner working with the drums as Bashful was pushed forward in front of Alfred for his turn. “I..” He began, but one look at the smiling Prince had him blushing bright red and turning away shyly. 

Aggravated at Bashful’s inaction, Grumpy turned back to the piano and slammed his fingers on the keys, making a loud shrill cry erupt from the piano and startling Bashful into singing his lines. 

“I chased a Polecat up a tree way all up on a limb! And when he got the best of me I got the worst of him!” He sang, a flush still covering his face. The Dwarfs continued on into the main verse once more as Alfred cheered for Bashful, and Dopey approached the Prince with a drum cymbal. He was still hitting it with a drumstick, but as the main verse neared it’s final note he held it out for Alfred. Alfred gleefully swung his leg out to kick the cymbal with his foot, laughing at the loud sound that rang from it in response. 

The Dwarfs did more of their yodeling, and Alfred even joined in with some harmonizing of his own. 

Suddenly, Doc rushed up to Alfred and bowed, holding out his hand. Smiling sweetly at him, Alfred placed his hand in Doc’s and let himself be pulled to his feet. Immediately, he began to dance in figure eight motions with the Dwarfs, first dancing around with Doc and then switching midway through to start dancing around Bashful. Then he switched once more to Sneezy, and then back to Doc, skipping his way through the whole dance. 

After a few minutes of that, they began a new dance, with Alfred in the center and the Dwarfs dancing around him. With a slight hop into the air, Alfred kicked out his right leg to his left side and then kicked his left leg over to the right. Then he did a little spin before repeating the motions.

Then he took a step up to Bashful and let their hands connect before Alfred stepped back and they bowed to each other. Standing back up, he let his right foot step out in front of him before moving back and repeating the motions all over with Bashful.

While they all danced, Dopey was climbing onto Sneezy’s shoulders with a long coat draped over him. “Watch out! Watch out!” Sneezy called as Dopey tried to find his balance on his head. When they were ready, they buttoned up the coat so that they appeared to be Alfred’s height. Then they began to dance over to where Alfred was. 

The Prince gasped when he saw them approach, and laughed at their utter silliness before bowing to his ‘prince’ and letting Dopey and Sleepy bow back. Dopey nearly fell off during their bow, but Sneezy managed to grab him just in time and pull him back into balance. Then they took Alfred’s hand and held it up high in the air as they began to skip forward, letting the music guide their steps.

They skipped forward, then turned and skipped back. Once back, Alfred let his hands rest lightly on Dopey’s arms as they turned to face each other and began a series of intricate kicks and leaps into the air, One of Dopey’s hands supporting his back as they danced. While Alfred moved with all the grace and skill of someone who had dancing lessons pounded into his head as a child from his tutors, Sneezy was heavily concentrated on trying to figure out the right kicks and leaps to match him. 

Soon they switched to a circle pathway again, Alfred’s right arm twined with Dopey’s as they moved in a circle, his other arm raised to the sky and his left leg stepping out to move him around the circle. 

With the change of the music, a final dance step started, and Alfred and Dopey and Sneezy lined up to face each other and began the last few steps. Repeatly doing little hops into the air, Alfred swung his left foot out to his right side again in midair before before and swinging out his right leg to his left, Sneezy doing his best to follow his moves.

The final notes began to play out as Sneezy and Dopey took over the dance and Alfred moved off to the sidelines to cheer and clap as they leaped and kicked into the air. 

However, their song was abruptly cut short as Sneezy was hit with another loud sneeze, knocking Dopey unsteady and finally sending them crashing to the ground. Still, the laughter that erupted around them was worth their brief embarrassment. 

Alfred laughed gaily as he sat back down into his chair, worn out and breathless from all the kicking and jumping. Truly, he hadn’t gone dancing in a long, long time. It made him remember why he loved dancing as a child, and the fond memories of his father teaching him his first clumsy steps made his heart swell with joy. 

“Now you do something!” Said Happy excitedly. “W-well.. what shall I do?” He asked, confused. “Tell a story!” Yawned Sleepy, already tired even though he was dancing a few minutes ago. “Yes! Tell us a story!” The rest of the Dwarfs agreed excitedly. 

“A true story!” Said Happy. “A love story, please!” Added Bashful. Alfred immediately blushed, but couldn’t stop the smile from forming on his face as his mind immediately went to the Prince who came to him at the wishing well, who serenaded him so romantically. He bit back a sigh. It felt like ages since he’d seen him, but it had really only been about a day or two. With all the fun he was having and all the work he did, he had almost forgotten about him. But the return of Ivan to his memories made his heart flutter like it did on the balcony. 

“Well, once there was a prince..” he began. “Was the Prince you?” Doc asked. Alfred smiled and nodded. “And he fell in love.” “Was it hard to do?” Inquired Sleepy. “Oh it was very easy! Anyone could see that the stranger was charming. The only one for me.” He sighed dreamily. 

“Was he strong? And handsome?” Asked Doc again. “Was he big and tall?” Sleepy added once more. “There’s nobody like him, anywhere at all.” Alfred answered softly. “Did he say he loved you?” Asked Bashful nervously. “Did he.. steal a kiss?” Inquired Happy.

”He was so romantic... I could not resist!” Alfred began to sing softly, his head up in the clouds as he remembered that warm, beautiful day when his life changed forever. The Dwarfs exchanged excited glances and began to settle down at his feet for Alfred’s song. Alfred smiled at them and adjusted himself in his seat before singing again. 

“Someday my Prince will come.. Someday we’ll meet again..

And away to his castle we’ll go! To be happy forever I know...” In the corner, Grumpy huffed to himself. “Hah! Mush..” he muttered, turning away again.

”Someday when spring is here, we’ll find our love anew..

And the birds will sing, and wedding bells will ring..

Someday!

When my dreams.. come true..”

Alfred let his song fade to an ending. He looked back down to see six of the Dwarfs still settled around him, heads placed in their hands as they smiled up at him. They all sighed happily.

The clock began to chime eleven, signaling the end of their fun for the night. 

“Oh, my goodness!” Alfred gasped. “It’s past bedtime!” He stood from the chair and began to usher the Dwarfs toward the staircase. “You all go on upstairs to bed.” Before they could start moving up, Doc stopped them. “Wait! Hold on there men!” He said authoritatively, turning back around. 

“The, uh, Prince will sleep in our beds upstairs.” He said, smiling. “But.. where will you sleep?” Alfred asked slowly. “Oh, we’ll be quite comfortable down here.” Doc assured him. “In uh.. in..” “In a pig’s eye!” Grumpy cut in. “In a pigs eye, uh, sty- er, no! No!” Doc stuttered. “I mean, I mean, we’ll be alright, Your Highness. You need your privacy. Right men?” 

“Oh yes!” They chimed.

”Now don’t you worry about us!” Doc said. “We’ll be alright down here.” Alfred considered this before giving in. “Well... if you insist.” He said, slowly beginning to head upstairs. He turned. “Goodnight!” 

“Goodnight, Prince!” They all said. Before Alfred entered the bedroom, he turned back once more. “You’re sure you’ll be comfortable?” “Oh yes, very comfortable!” They said, nodding with faux sureness. Alfred smiled. “Well.. pleasant dreams then.” He said, turning and heading into the bedroom.

He shut the door.

The Dwarfs immediately made a mad dash for the pillow that Dopey had managed to sneak over to and rest his head on. Their ensuing fight over the pillow ended with an explosion of feathers over the room. 

Up in the bedroom, Alfred said his nightly prayers. “Bless the seven little men who have been so kind to me, and... and may my dreams come true.” He said softly. “Amen.” He began to rise from his position kneeled in front of the beds, but then remembered something.

”Oh yes! And please make Grumpy like me..” He added. 

Downstairs, the Dwarfs settled into their own places. Grumpy rested in the metal pot hanging over the hearth, Bashful in a drawer, Happy in a cabinet, Doc in the kitchen sink, and Sneezy and Dopey sharing a bench. Sleepy was resting against the wall, a pesky fly still buzzing around him. Eventually it landed on his nose and went to sleep too.

Outside, the sound of crickets and frogs was the only noise to be heard.  


	7. The Fairest in The Land

_“And she made a posioned, poisoned apple. From the outside it was beautiful, white with red cheeks, and anyone who saw it would want it. But anyone who might eat a little piece of it would die” -Little Snow White, The Brothers Grimm_

              ~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Queen Arthur’s spell room, the Queen was putting the final touches on his gift for Prince Alfred.

”Dip the apple in the brew..” Arthur chanted, as he held a yellow apple above a large pot of boiling green liquid. All around him, steam wafted throughout the room. “Let the Sleeping Death sleep through!” 

When he lowered the fruit into the brew by a string, the green liquid seemed to physically move towards it, soaking into it and covering it and filling it with its poison. As more liquid seeped through it, the brew became thicker and thicker until it was more like a blue sap. 

The Queen lifted it from the pot, and let the blue sap slowly drop off the fruit. As it slowly melted off, it formed a black skull on the face of the Apple. 

“Look!” Queen Arthur cried with mad excitement. “On the skin! The symbol of what lies within.”

”Now, turn red to tempt Little Alfred. To make him hunger for a bite!” The last of the now-glowing blue sap disintegrated into nothingness, and the fruit turned a bright scarlet, a shade of red only comparable to the lips and cheeks of the Young Prince. 

Queen Arthur chuckled as he examined the poisonous beauty in his hand. He looked over to his raven, and suddenly thrust the Apple towards it. “Have a bite?” He called loudly. The raven jumped backwards in fright and attempted to fly off, only to run into the wall right behind it. 

Arthur cackled loudly. “It’s not for you!” He said tauntingly. “It’s for Alfred!” He brought the apple close to him. “For when he breaks the tender peel, to taste the apple in my hand...” he hissed in morbid impatience. “His breath will still, his blood congeal! Then I’ll be Fairest in the Land!” He yelled triumphantly, his announcement fading off into haggard laughter. 

Suddenly, however, he stopped. He turned contemplative, a gnarled finger resting on his lip. “But wait... there may be an antidote..” he trailed off, and began rushing over to his spellbook of Poisons. “Nothing must be overlooked!” He flipped through some pages in his book before finding the right section with an audible gasp and scanning it hastily. 

“‘The Victim of the Sleeping Death can be revived only by Love’s First  Kiss.’” He read aloud. “Love’s first kiss, hah!” He said mockingly, slamming the spellbook closed. “No fear of that. The Dwarfs will think he’s dead. He’ll be buried alive!” He yelled, nearly overwhelmed with sadistic glee. He roared with laughter as he gently placed the poisoned apple into a prepared basket of apples, patting it gently once it rested inside. His mad cackles never subsided as he picked up his basket and opened a wooden door in the floor to leave out a secret passage way. “Buried alive!” He yelled again amidst his laughter, and then closed the wooden door as he descended into the passage. 

He walked down the cold stone steps until he reached a platform filled with bones and old vases and pots. Next to the staircase was a cell covered in cobwebs. Reaching through the old rusted bars were the arms of an old skeleton, reaching desperately for a small canteen that was placed just outside his grasp. His desperate hands couldn’t reach the canteen. 

As Arthur passed it, he chuckled some more. “Thirsty?” He laughed, kicking the canteen into the bones and sending them scattering all over the place. “Have a drink!” A spider quickly scattered from the fallen canteen.

At the end of the platform was a boat sitting quietly in a waterway that spanned the length of the dark tunnel leading out of the dungeon. Arthur carefully stepped into the boat and set down his basket to grab the single long paddle. He slowly pushed the boat along quietly, and soon he was emerging from the early morning fog outside of Spade Palace’s high stone walls.

When he finally crossed the swamp surrounding the backside of the palace, he dragged his boat onto the damp shore and began his trek through the tall grasses and cattails until he reached an open dirt path that led into the forest. He kept hobbling along as he faded into the mists.

* * *

 

At the cottage, the morning sun was beginning to shine it’s bright light upon the sleeping animals around the porch of the house and through the windows to the occupants inside. 

The animals stirred as they heard the turning and opening of the front door. They rushed back closer to the trees as the Dwarfs began to walk outside. 

“Now, don’t forget, my dear.” Doc cautioned as he led Alfred outside into the fresh morning air. “The Old Queen’s a sly one. Full of witchcraft! So beware of any strangers!” Alfred shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be alright.” Then he lifted Doc’s hat from his head and planted a kiss to Doc’s forehead. “I’ll see you tonight!”

Doc flushed and coughed awkwardly. “Y-Yes, well, uh..” then he attempted to put on a bold countenance. “Well, come on men!” He called, beginning to walk off. Bashful slowly approached the Prince, pulling off his own hat. “You be awful careful, young Prince. If anything happened to you, I’d-“ He was silenced when Alfred gently kissed his forehead. His face was overtaken by a massive blush and he turned away shyly. “O-Oh, my..!”

Grumpy rolled his eyes at the display and crossed his arms. “Heh, disgusting!” He mumbled to himself. 

Sneezy emerged next in front of Alfred, attempting to hold back a sneeze. “Be sure to wa-watch out!” Sneezy said to Alfred as he passed. Alfred nodded and kissed his head as well. “T-thanks!” He said happily before walking off. Next in line was Dopey, who tugged on Alfred’s cape to get his attention. Alfred turned to him and smiled down at him gently. 

Dopey leaned up toward Alfred with his lips puckered, expectant. Alfred blushed and laughed lightly. “Oh, I don’t think so!” He giggled. He grabbed Dopey’s ears and tilted his head downward to kiss a spot on his forehead. Smiling dopily, he stumbled off towards the other Dwarfs and let Sleepy approach next. 

Passing by the window, Dopey got a brilliant idea. He crawled through the window and back into the house. As Sleepy was walking off, he rushed back  on to the front porch and tugged on Alfred’s cape again. Alfred turned toward him and he once again puckered his lips for him. 

“Wha...” Alfred started, before grinning down at Dopey and placing his hands on his hips. Then he chuckled and gave in. “Oh, alright.” He tilted Dopey’s head back down again and gave him another kiss. “But that’s the last-“ before Alfred could finish the sentence, Dopey was sprinting off. Alfred turned to see where he went, but suddenly felt another tug on his cape. Whirling around, Alfred was once again faced with Dopey’s puckered lips. 

Alfred laughed. “You go on and run along!” He said, urging Dopey ahead towards the others. 

The Dwarfs began to sing their song as Grumpy stomped out of the house and stood next to Alfred, pulling his hat into his hand. When he saw that Alfred was too busy waving and calling out goodbye, he loudly cleared his throat. Alfred turned to look at him. 

“Now I’m warning you,” He said. “Don’t let anybody or anything in the house.” Alfred smiled haughtily. “Why, Grumpy! You do care!” He gently grabbed the sides of Grumpy’s face in an attempt to give him a kiss, only to be met with resistance. After a bit of a struggle, with Grumpy attempting to get away from him, Alfred quickly planted a kiss on his forehead before letting him go. 

Grumpy quickly stomped along to catch up with the others, slamming his hat back onto his head. However, as he walked, he couldn’t prevent himself from feeling a blush rise in his cheeks and a dreamy sigh escape his lips at the memory of the kiss on his forehead. Risking a glance back at Alfred, he saw the Prince looking after him before blowing him a kiss with a wave, blinking flirtatiously.  

Grumpy quickly snapped out of it, and continued on stomping down the path. But due to his failure to pay attention to where he was going, he ended up slamming into a tree instead. He hurriedly pushed himself away and tried to continue on, only to end up tumbling directly into the small stream of water. He pushed himself up and trudged out of the water to march on. 

“Bye Grumpy!” Alfred called from behind him. Unwilling to embarrass himself any further, he turned his nose up at Alfred with a humph and continued on.

* * *

 

The sun was high in the sky when the Queen in disguise finally approached the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs.

 “The little men will be away..” He said to himself as he walked through the rocks and trees. “And he’ll be alone, with a harmless old peddler woman.” From the branch of one of the trees, two vultures followed the Queen’s black cloak with their eyes. 

Glancing at each other, the vultures took off from the tree branch and followed slowly after the wicked Queen. 

* * *

 

Alfred was in the kitchen, rolling some dough for his apple pie. As he worked and the forest animals watched from around him, he sang his song to keep him occupied.

”Someday, my Prince will come. Someday, we’ll meet again..” one of the birds scooped some sugar from a bowl with his tail and sprinkled it over the dough. “And away to his castle we’ll go..” Alfred lifted the dough and placed it over the tray that was lined with dough and filled with apple slices. Then he reached for a knife and began to trim off the extra dough from the sides. “To be happy forever, I know!” 

“Someday when spring is here,” he sang as he held up the finished pie to examine. Then he set it down on the table and let some birds crimp the sides of the pie with their little feet. “We’ll find our love anew. And the birds will sing! And wedding bells will ring!” Other birds took the extra dough that had been cut off and used it to write out the name ‘Grumpy’ in cursive on the uncooked pastry.

”Someday, When my dreams come true!” He sang dreamily. 

Suddenly, a shadow blocked out the light from the kitchen window. With a gasp, Alfred looked up to see a haggard old woman with glowing green eyes peering into the window with a grin.

The old woman raised a black eyebrow and gave a slow chuckle. “All alone, my pet?” She asked, her eyes wide and blinking as she leaned further into the window. Alfred felt a cold air about the woman, but attempted to remain polite anyway. 

“W-Why, yes I am...” he said slowly. “But...” He was interrupted by the old woman’s words. “The.. little men are not here?” She asked, her eyes quickly scanning the inside of the kitchen. Alfred rubbed his hands against his breeches nervously. “No, they’re not, but..” Unsure of what else to say, the Prince trailed off. “Mmhmm..” murmured the old woman with an eerie grin, clutching tight at the wooden window frame. 

Then she audibly sniffed the air. “Making pies?” She asked with faux inquiry. Alfred attempted a brave smile. “Yes, apple pie!” He replied, nodding. The old woman grinned widely. “Ah, the perfect kind of pie to make men’s mouths water! But to make the perfect pie, you need the perfect apples, my dear.” She rumbled, reaching for her basket. She pulled out a bright red apple, holding it out for Alfred to see. “Perfect apples like these!” 

From outside, the forest animals exchanged nervous looks at each other. 

“Oh it does look delicious..” Alfred supplied. “Yes! But wait till you taste one dearie!” The old peddler woman chuckled. The animals looked over to the trees, and noticed the two vultures grinning wickedly at each other. The birds began to chatter amongst each other.

”Like to try one?” The woman asked, holding it out to the young Prince. “Go on! Go on, have a bite!” She coaxed, her words coated in poisonous honey. Alfred began to reach for the Apple, and the birds sprang into action.

They swarmed the old peddler, chirping loudly and making her drop the apple in surprise. The woman cried out, trying to brush the birds away from her. Stunned, Alfred rushed from the kitchen and out the door. He quickly ran over to the scene and shooed the birds away from the weak old lady. “Stop it! Stop it! Go away! Shame on you!” He scolded as the birds returned to the trees. “Frightening a poor old lady!” 

The old woman was quickly picking herself up from the ground, grabbing the apple and brushing it off against his black cloak. She clutched it to her as Alfred’s hands rested gently against her arms and back. “There, there...” Alfred soothed gently. “I’m sorry.” 

“Oh! My heart!” The old woman cried, faking pain and weariness. “Oh my- my poor heart!” She began to stagger towards the front door with Alfred supporting her. “Take me into the house! Let me rest! A drink of water! Please!” She cried. Alfred hurriedly ushered her in, his arms supporting most of her weight. Once the door closed, the forest animals rushed over to the windowpane and looked in to see Alfred lowering the woman into a chair and rushing to the sink with a ladle to pump some water into. 

The animals saw her slowly bring out her red, red apple again and smile wickedly down at it. Panicked, the animals rushed from the windowpane and hurried down the dirt path that led to the mine, hurrying through the trees and over rocks as they raced against time.

* * *

 

The Dwarfs were still singing “Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! It’s off to work we go!” as they finally reached the mine, their pickaxes swung over their shoulders. The animals were scrambling over the rocks and wading through the streams near the mine as the Dwarfs dumped their tools into a mine cart and began to pull it along. 

“Hey, look!” Doc shouted as he saw the animals scrambling over the hills toward them, his sudden stop causing the other Dwarfs to crash into him. 

Within seconds, the Dwarfs were surrounded by birds and woodland creatures and struggling against the pull of their clothes and hats. “Go on! Get away!” Grumpy shouted, trying to shoo them away with his hat. Doc was being pushed by the head of a deer, and Dopey was being dragged every which way by birds and chipmunks. 

“What ails these crazy birds?” Doc cried. “They’ve gone plumb daffy!” Sneezy responded as a deer tried to drag him from a tree. “Y-Yeah! They’ve-“ Sneezy abruptly sneezed loudly, brushing off the birds who were dragging him by his beard. 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, back in the cottage, the old peddler woman was finally recovered from her heart pain. “And because you’ve been so good to poor old Granny, I’ll share a secret with you.” She said, standing up and getting close in the nervous teen’s face. 

“This is no ordinary apple.” The woman explained, holding out the apple to Alfred once more. “It’s a magic wishing apple!” She said, holding the fruit into the air triumphantly. Alfred’s eyes widened. “A wishing apple?” He whispered, hope in his voice. 

The woman smiled. “Yes! One bite, and all your dreams will come true!” Alfred gazed at her in awe. “Really?” “Yes, my child! Now, make a wish, and take a bite!” The peddler hissed haggardly, holding out the apple for Alfred to take. 

* * *

 

At the mines, the Dwarfs were still fighting against the animals. Sleepy, who was sitting in the tipped over mine cart, yawned and finally made his own suggestion. “Maybe the old Queen’s got Alfred.” He said simply. All of the Dwarfs froze. “The Queen!?” Doc cried. “Prince Alfred!” They all shouted in unison. “The Queen will kill him! We gotta save him!” Grumpy shouted. “Yes! Yes! We, we, we gotta save him!” Doc responded frantically.

“Come on!” Grumpy roared amongst the outbreak of panic among all the Dwarfs. Then he leapt onto the back of one of the deer and immediately began to rush back to the cottage. The rest quickly followed, clambering on board the deer and struggling valiantly to hang on as they dashed back through the trees and jumped over large rocks and stones back to the cottage.

* * *

 

”There must be something your little heart desires.” The woman coaxed eagerly to Alfred. “Perhaps there’s someone you love?” She suggested. As she took steps toward Alfred, the Prince took steps backward until he was pressed against the wall. “Well.. there is someone.” He admitted shyly. The woman beamed. “I thought so! I thought so!” She chuckled. “Old Granny knows a young lad’s heart!” Then she placed the apple into Alfred’s soft hands, patting them gently. “Now take the apple, dear. A make a wish.” She whispered.

Alfred looked down at the apple. “I wish... I wish..” “That’s it! Go on, go on!” The woman hissed excitedly.

* * *

 

The deer were rushing the Dwarfs over the fallen tree bridge and sliding down a steep dirt cliff before leaping passed the rocks and logs and jumping over a small gap inbetween the mountains. The Dwarfs all shouted for the deer to hurry, to go faster, to reach the young Prince in time.

* * *

 

”That he will carry me away to his castle, where we will live happily ever after.” Alfred finished, his eyes soft and his mind having traveled to a far off paradise. “Good job, child! Now take a bite!” The woman urged him. 

* * *

 

The Dwarfs were rapidly approaching the cottage as the rocks and cliffs faded behind them and only a flat forested path lay ahead of them.

* * *

 

”Enough talking! Don’t let the wish grow cold!” The peddler cautioned as Alfred began to bring the apple to his lips. Then he took a big bite of the cursed fruit. 

The peddler watched with wide eyes, gaping smile and clutched bony fingers as the Prince began to wobble on his feet. “Oh... I feel strange...” he whimpered softly. The woman nodded excitedly. 

“His breath will still..” He hissed as Alfred let out a breathy sigh. “His blood congeal...” the Prince suddenly collapsed to the floor, his hand laying out in front of him and the apple rolling from his grip. 

The wicked Queen let out a mad laugh, bending over with the force of his joy as lightning began to flash outside. “Now I’m the Fairest in The Land!” He shouted. 

He began to rush out of the cottage into the rain that had started outside, still laughing triumphantly. But his laughter was cut short when he saw the Dwarfs appearing ahead, with an army of animals at their side. He immediately rushed off in the opposite direction of the Dwarfs, who had managed to grab their picks and sticks as they rushed back home. 

“There he goes!” Grumpy shouted angrily, urging his mount to hurry towards the retreating black figure in the drenching rain. The two vultures in the tree set off once more to follow the fleeing Queen. 

Queen Arthur hurried over the rocks and gnarled tree roots as the Dwarfs rapidly approached him. He began to climb up the piles of stone and rock against the harsh rain falling against his face and skin, slicking the rocks as he slowly scaled the small cliff. Unable to go up with the deer, the Dwarfs jumped off and began to scramble up the rocks after the Queen, weapons raised and ready. “After him!” Grumpy yelled as he climbed up first. 

Seeing the furious Dwarfs behind him, the Queen staggered forward as he began to reach the crest of the cliff. Slowly gaining ground were the Dwarfs, with Grumpy leading the way with a look of Godly rage on his face.

The Queen grabbed a tree branch and pulled himself to the top of the cliff, where he immediately noticed an unstable boulder resting still among the rocks. He looked over the edge of the cliff only to see a long and deadly way down. “I’m trapped!” He hissed. “What do I do?” The vultures landed on the branches above the fretting Queen. “The meddling little fools!” 

As the Dwarfs climbed up the rocks, the Queen grabbed a broken stick and shoved it underneath the large boulder, trying to move it forward and down the ragged mountain to crush the Dwarfs. “I’ll crush them! I’ll crush them to death!” He shouted angrily. As he worked at the boulder, the small rocks beneath slowly fell away. 

He began to laugh triumphantly as the Dwarfs closed in on him and the boulder was just about to give, but suddenly a loud flash of light and heat lit up the cliff. A resounding crack was heard as the lightning struck the cliff’s edge, shattering the unstable rocks and breaking the edge beneath the Queen’s feet. With a scream, the Queen tumbled back and fell off the cliff. The boulder trembled, the ground beneath it having been broken as well. Slowly, it rolled backwards and tumbled off the cliff as well to meet the Wicked Queen Arthur. 

The vultures grinned as the Dwarfs looked over the edge of the cliff in stunned silence. The vultures jumped from their branches and began to fly down and circle the fallen Queen, ready to start their sick feast. 

* * *

 The young Prince still looked beautiful, even in death.

He had been lain reverently on a specially made bed with white sheets and a pillow. Two candles were lit on either side of his head. Surrounding his bed, the Dwarfs were standing in grieved silence, their head tipped forward in despair. 

Happy slowly looked up at the Prince, his hat in hand, and tears falling down his cheeks. Grumpy rested a hand against a chair, unable to believe that the young boy was really gone. Unable to hide his grief, he turned away and tried to keep his sobs silent. Doc kept a gentle arm around Dopey, who cried quietly into his shirt. Outside, the animals looked in through the window sadly. 

Despite the Justice they had won for the Young Prince, he had still not gotten the happy ending he had so deserved. And they all knew that that would be a thought that haunted them for the rest of their days.


	8. Love’s First Kiss

_**...So beautiful, even in death, that the Dwarfs could not find it in their hearts to bury him...** _

_**...they fashioned a coffin of glass and gold, and kept eternal vigil at his side...** _

_**...the Prince, who had searched far and wide, heard of the maiden who slept in the glass coffin.** _

_**~~~~~~~~** _

”One song... I have but one song...”

”One song, only for you...”

The forest animals gently placed down bouquets of flowers against the sides of the glass coffin.

”One heart, tenderly beating... ever entreating, constant and true...”  _So true..._

Slowly, the Seven Dwarfs approached the coffin as well, placing their own bouquets next to the forest animals’ and removing their hats in silent respect for their fallen Prince. 

However, Grumpy strode forward as Doc and Happy gently lifted the glass lid of the coffin. With more tenderness than he’d ever had before, the humbled Dwarf placed his bouquet in Alfred’s small hands.

Then together, they all stepped back and lowered themselves to their knees, both in prayer and in mourning.

”One love.. that has possessed me..”

”One love... thrilling me through..”

Where the words he sang had once been filled with love and passion, now they only seemed empty and grieved. As Ivan dismounted his horse and stared in disbelief and pain, the only thing he could think to do was to remove his hat and clutch it inbetween his shaking fingers.

Despite feeling frozen in place with grief, he forced himself to approach the coffin containing the sweet soul he had fallen madly in love with at the first heavenly sound of his voice. The one he had been so intent upon making his Bride. As soon as he found him, he swore. 

Now, it was all a distant fantasy.

”One song, my heart keeps singing...”

”Of One love..”  _One love..._

“Only for you...”

He reached the Dwarfs, and after a brief look at them and receiving a nod in response, he slowly began to approach the coffin.

Prince Alfred looked just as if he were sleeping. He was laying on a golden platform with the words ‘Prince Alfred’ carved in gold lettering along the side. Various sheets and blankets were laid beneath him to cushion him, and his head rested on a white silken pillow. Framing his face was an arch of white flowers.

Despite being claimed by death, his cheeks somehow still looked rosy and plump, not sunken in by time. His lips were still tinted a healthy red, and his hair was still more golden than the bed he was laying on.

Feeling a tug at his heart, Ivan resolved himself to make one last goodbye. 

Leaning over his small figure, Ivan let his forehead rest against Alfred’s. This close, Alfred’s serene face and closed eyes framed by long lashes were the only things in his sight. 

“Oh, Alfred. I’m so sorry.” He whispered. “This is all my fault. I should’ve found you sooner. I should’ve taken you away from that wretched queen when I first saw you. Please, find it in your heart to forgive me..” he trailed off mournfully.

Then, he lowered his face all the way to gently kiss the young Prince. 

_Mmmmm...._

Ivan pulled away, and sat back on his knee. His emotions whirling around heavily in his heart, he lowered his head against his arm to hide his silent tears. Just behind him, the Dwarfs and animals also lowered their heads. 

_Mmmmm...._

Then, quietly, Alfred’s eyes fluttered open. 

_And away to his castle we’ll go..._

Alfred dropped his bouquet as he stretched out his arms, one reaching over to cover his eyes from the light. 

_To be happy forever, we know..._

The Dwarfs and animals slowly looked up. Once their gazes landed on the awakening Prince, their eyes widened in shock and complete happiness. 

Alfred pulled himself up into a sitting position on the bed. Looking around in confusion, his eyes landed on the figure kneeling before him. It only took him a few moments to recognize the silver hair and red cape. A smile grew increasingly on his face. 

Suddenly hearing surprised gasps from behind him, Ivan looked up to ascertain the cause. Immediately his gaze landed on Prince Alfred, sitting up on the coffin and blinking down at him, a massive smile on his face. 

Stunned, he quickly jumped to his feet. 

“Alfred..?” He whispered. 

“Hello, Ivan..” Alfred said shyly, his eyes bright.

“Please, tell me I’m dreaming.. I must be dreaming..” Ivan stammered, his eyes filling with tears. Alfred reached out a hand and placed it gently on top of Ivan’s. It was blessedly warm. Alfred was about to assure him, but Ivan already had all the confirmation he needed.

He fell once more on to one knee, his hands clutching Alfred’s. 

“Prince Alfred, would you do me the honor of coming back to Clubs with me, where we will be married and you will never have to be alone ever again?” Ivan whispered. Ivan felt Alfred’s fingers clutch his own tightly as his eyes watered. 

“Of course, Ivan, of course!” He cried, holding out his arms to him. 

Ivan didn’t waste any time, scooping one arm under Alfred’s legs and the other supporting his back as he lifted him off the coffin and into his arms. Alfred’s arms quickly wrapped around Ivan’s neck to support himself. 

All of the Dwarfs were cheering and dancing in joy as Ivan walked past them. They leaped and danced and threw their hats and the animals were just as enthusiastic. Even Grumpy was over the moon with joy and relief. 

They all followed the pair as Ivan made his way toward his waiting horse. As he walked, Alfred held out an arm to the Dwarfs in greeting and goodbye. He blew a kiss to the Dwarfs and creatures following behind. 

Arriving next to the horse, Ivan set Alfred down to properly grasp his waist, lifting him into the air. Alfred placed his hands on Ivan’s shoulders to support him as Ivan placed him in the horse’s saddle. 

Once secure, Ivan bent down to pick up the Dwarfs. He brought Bashful up to Alfred’s level and let Alfred kiss his forehead.

”Goodbye!” Alfred said as Bashful blushed fiercely with a smile. 

Next came Grumpy, who removed his hat and beamed at Alfred as he kissed his forehead. As Grumpy was lowered back down, he blew a kiss back up to Alfred. 

“Bye, Grumpy!” He said sweetly. Then the trio of Doc, Happy, and Sleepy were held up to him. Alfred smiled and kissed each of their foreheads. 

When Dopey was raised up, Alfred laughed when he puckered his lips for Alfred. “Aw, Dopey!” He cooed, grabbing his ears to tilt his head and planting a kiss on his forehead. 

When all the goodbyes were finished, Ivan grasped the reins and began to lead the horse away. Alfred turned to look back at all his friends he was leaving behind. Almost sadly, he blew them all one last kiss and called out, “Goodbye!” 

He smiled as they all waved and called out goodbye in return. Then he turned back toward his Prince and the pathway ahead of them. 

His future. 

His new beginning. 

As they crested a small hill, Ivan stopped suddenly and stared out into the distance. Confused, Alfred followed his line of sight.

_Someday when spring is here.._

_We’ll find our love anew.._

Alfred gasped at what he saw. Just barely in the distance, very far away, he could see the outline of a castle. In the morning dawn and low clouds, the highly elevated structure looked as if it were sitting on the clouds themselves, the sky behind it painted countless shades of red and orange and yellow, and the sun’s rays streaming out from behind the castle.

_And the birds will sing..._

_And wedding bells will ring..._

Alfred smiled as he looked down at Ivan. Ivan was turned back toward him, giving him the same hopeful smile. 

Now, he was done with running in fear. Now, he was going to a place where he could be happy forever. With his true love, his husband.

His happily ever after.

_Someday when my dreams come true!~_

 

 

__


	9. Epilogue

_**...A~fter the news of Queen Arthur’s attack on Prince Alfred and his ugly demise as a result spread throughout the kingdom, a massive search was begun throughout the land in search of the young Prince, now the next in line for the Spadian throne as the new Omega Queen of Spades.** _

_**Hearing of the story himself, Prince Ivan immediately began searching far and wide for his true love.** _

_**After finding the young Prince and awakening him with Love’s First Kiss, Prince Ivan took him to the Kingdom of Clubs, where they announced Alfred’s safe return and their engagement to the world.** _

_**Both Kingdoms rejoiced at the news of the engagement, and celebrated for many days.** _

_**King Ivan and Queen Alfred were wedded in the Cathedral of Spades and coronated in the neighboring Kingdom of Clubs, a joyous day marked by music and dancing in the streets, and the constant ringing of wedding bells throughout both kingdoms.** _

_**The unification of Clubs and Spades brought forth an era of unprecedented wealth and prosperity for all the people, and the Royal couple bided their time between both lands to tend to each kingdom.** _

_**Ivan and Alfred lived for many long and happy years together, and always kept in contact with the Seven Dwarfs.** _

_**And history would forever record that Queen Alfred was, and always remained, the Fairest One of All.~** _

 

_**** _

_**** _


End file.
